


sleep deprived

by PidgeScarlet



Series: Hushed AU - SBI [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Bonding, Caring Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Long-Haired Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Toby Smith | Tubbo, Mentioned TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Non-Graphic Violence, Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Protective Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Tags Are Hard, Technoblade Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29504661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PidgeScarlet/pseuds/PidgeScarlet
Summary: “Of course the fucker is dead, it’s a zombie for Christ’s sake!” the madman exclaimed.“Well, surely you hit its head,” Techno responded, gesturing to the mutilated corpse in front of him. “So then it’s dead dead.”The madman stared at him for a moment in shock. Techno raised an eyebrow at him.“Are you a fucking American?” the madman asked. “And where did you get a fucking sword?”“College,” Techno said, like that answered everything.↤ ✧ ↦Being trapped in England due to a zombie apocalypse is not what 18 year old Technoblade imagined when he left America to go off to college. Completely cut off from his family in the States and forced to learn to survive in these dangerous times, Techno is surprised when he meets people along the way that don't try to recruit him into their gang or jump him for the chance of stealing his supplies. Maybe he can learn what it means to be apart of a family again and learn what it means to have a support system in a decaying world.↤ ✧ ↦This is a part of a series but can be read as a standalone!
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: Hushed AU - SBI [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2093940
Comments: 22
Kudos: 547





	sleep deprived

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Non-graphic violence (implied/referenced death of a background unnamed character + zombies)
> 
> This is a part of a series but can be read as a standalone!
> 
> I wrote the beginning of this in early January and only now have finished it after leaving it for a month. I loved the ideas I came up with for this AU and can't wait to write more for it in the future. Have some Technoblade, I love to write him and am happy with how this turned out. I'm a sucker for found family stuff and hope you all enjoy!

↤ ✧ ↦

If Technoblade ever regretted living on an island to go to college a couple plane rides away from his family, now would be the time to regret it.

The apocalypse, zombie virus, came as a surprise to everyone. At first the government tried to hide it from everyone. Just a new strain of the flu or some shit. Nothing to worry about. It was something people knew was a thing but didn’t think that they had to worry about.

That’s until the first hospital fell to the hoard of zombies that overtook it. Like a chain reaction every hospital in all of England fell to the reanimated corpses, infecting and killing those that crossed their path. It wasn’t a surprise that hospitals were the first to go, seeing as they housed hundreds of people that didn’t realize they were infected with the zombie virus.

Now Techno was an eighteen year-old English major with a passion for fencing and videogames. A zombie apocalypse was not his area of expertise (like it was anybody's). He spent his free time studying, fencing, and staying up until ungodly hours in the night to play videogames. He thought he was dead on day one. Turns out zombies were a lot easier to kill as long as you didn’t get close enough to be bitten.

The infection, zombie virus, whatever you wanted to call it, was in the zombies saliva. How they produced that when they were literally dead was beyond Techno. English major, not Biology. As long as they didn’t break skin when they bite, drooled in your mouth, eyes, flesh wounds, or anywhere where the virus could enter your body, you were safe. Simple enough for Techno, he hated human contact and England was cold as fuck. He simply covered as much of his skin with clothing and took the extra precaution of wearing a surgical mask and old ski goggles he found when he was out and about and in a zombie populated area. (Eventually he swapped the mask for a bandana he found, which worked better in his opinion.)

How did Techno figure this out you ask? Well, him and his former roommate stuck with each other in the first couple of weeks of the breakout. Then his roommate was bit and there was no information on how this exactly worked, so both of them decided to just be wary of any signs of change. They walked carefully around each other for days and kept a comfortable distance between them, until Techno’s roommate got too sick to move. That’s until they suddenly rose out of their slumber, after their heart had stopped beating hours ago. Techno didn’t hesitate to bash their skull in and made a mental note to _not_ get bit by zombies, not like his unfortunate roommate.

Sure, he could deal with dying to one of those fuckers, but not becoming one.

Techno learned rather quickly that fencing swords made for a poor choice in weapons. So he stole swords from the dramatic looking armor sets that his college had standing in the hallways of campus. Thank goodness for dramatic Brits, no offence they just had a strange taste in décor, but he bet there were places in America where you could find stuff like this. (He wasn’t gonna deny that Americans were strange, he was one after all. That would be hypocritical.) Then he hightailed it out of there, knowing a popular place like his campus would quickly be overrun. He wasn’t wrong either, he just wasn’t around to see the destruction.

Now Techno, Techno was a lone wolf. The only reason he even bothered to stay with his now dead roommate was because they were the only person he knew in the whole of England. But once they were out of the equation he quickly adapted to being on his own. The only friends he had were on the other side of the world, and it wasn’t like they were super close to begin with. There was a reason why he was comfortable going to school on the other side of the world even though he didn’t know anyone there. 

He did miss his brother and sister though. His younger brother would have been in his first year of highschool, his sister getting closer to graduating from elementary school. Now they were in an apocalypse with no way to contact one another. He didn’t know if the infection spread to other countries, but if it did he hoped they were alive.

(He knew better than that. He hoped their deaths were swift and painless.)

At first he struggled. He was used to living off of the luxury of instant mashed potatoes and ramen, like any typical college student with no concern for their well-being because they had midterms and exams to study for. Now what he needed to focus on was finding food and staying alive.

Techno was instantly wary of survivor groups. They were territorial and controlling. All of his experiences with them weren’t great. They’d try to recruit him and once he declined they would frame him as a threat and try and kill them.

It’s a good thing that Technoblade never dies.

(He couldn’t say the same for the territorial bastards that tried to jump him.)

A few months into the apocalypse and a few months of traveling north, trying to get away from the big cities, Techno ran into a madman. He wasn’t sure if madman was the correct term, but the guy was definitely a little crazy. Not like him, Techno had a strange thirst for bloodlust he could never explain. This guy, however, was an enigma. Techno had no idea what to think of him.

It didn’t help that their first impression of each other was him stumbling upon the guy as he was screaming while he beat an already dead zombie into bits with a broken guitar.

“ _This was my favorite fucking guitar you stupid son of a bitch!_ ” the madman screamed as black blood flew up and stained his already bloodied jacket. He had a crazed look in his eyes as he huffed while standing over the mutilated corpse. His guitar was in pieces, some of them spread across the ground and others embedded in the zombie’s body. The neck of the guitar had snapped, it’s strings were the only thing keeping it from breaking off from the rest of it.

“You know it’s dead now, right?” Techno said. The madman’s eyes snapped over to him. He stood up taller, and while Techno was tall this guy definitely had a few inches on him. This didn’t intimidate him though, he stood still and calmly as he looked over the madman and the zombie he had beaten to death.

“Of course the fucker is dead, it’s a zombie for Christ’s sake!” the madman exclaimed.

“Well, surely you hit its head,” Techno responded, gesturing to the mutilated corpse in front of him. “So then it’s dead dead.”

The madman stared at him for a moment in shock. Techno raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you a fucking American?” the madman asked. “And where did you get a fucking sword?”

“College,” Techno said, like that answered everything. He wasn’t a very talkative guy and talking to a madman after being alone for weeks didn’t exactly make him want to open up about his educational-turned-zombie-apocalypse survival goals.

“You from Florida?” the madman asked.

“What?” Techno asked, giving the madman an incredulous look. “No.”

“Where are you from then?” the madman asked. “If not Florida who else is crazy enough to carry around a fucking sword in a zombie apocalypse?” He gestured to the sword that was at Techno’s hip. Techno shrugged and gripped the straps of his backpack as he also studied the madman.

“Someone who wants to stay alive?” Techno offered. “Look I have no idea, but if it matters I’m from California. I just liked fencing.”

“You’re strange mister American,” the madman said.

“It’s Techno,” Techno said. “Technoblade.”

“I take it back, you are weird as _fuck_ ,” the madman said, but he was grinning wildly as he looked Techno up and down. “Name’s Wilbur, Wilbur Soot. I’d shake your hand but I’m covered in zombie guts.”

“I’m not a touchy person anyway,” Techno said. “And I’d rather not be covered in guts. It’s hard to keep clothes clean these days.”

“You tell me, this is the fifth jacket I’ve stolen,” Wilbur said with a smirk.

Techno couldn’t stop himself from laughing when he saw Wilbur’s realization that his fifth jacket was now ruined as well.

↤ ✧ ↦

Techno wasn’t sure why he let Wilbur tag around with him. The last time he traveled with someone they died. And any group he ran into saw him as a threat.

But Wilbur, Wilbur with his guitar, his jokes, his random arguments on completely unrelated subjects; Wilbur was different.

Sure, in a fight he was practically useless and Techno saved his life more than once, Wilbur still had his talents. He could cook better than Techno, even if he wasn’t great at it. He also was a great listener, which was useful whenever they had to stay silent to listen for zombies, survivors, or animals to hunt. And when they raided a hunting shop together Techno quickly found out that Wilbur was a great shot when he had his hunting crossbow in hand. Not to mention his songs he could play on his new stolen guitar that always managed to cheer him up, even if it was just by a little bit.

Techno had always been a loner. Social anxiety was always present in his life and kept him from connecting with people. Even in his own family he felt distant, and now more than ever he regretted the way he pushed them away. He loved them and he knew that they knew that, but in the end it wasn’t enough. Now they were gone, and he never had the chance to say goodbye.

Wilbur felt like his second chance. Wilbur was the older brother he never had, the twin he never met, despite their couple year difference in age. His outward personality rivaled with his inward one, but that never posed any problem with him. Wilbur brought out a protective and loving side of Techno that he thought had died off in highschool.

Wilbur was good to him and in return Techno was good to Wilbur. While he never thought too much about it, Techno thinks that Wilbur saved both of their lives. In a world falling apart, without a support system no one could last forever. It was by pure chance that the two young men met and decided to stick together despite their differences.

Even with his brashness, crude language, quick temper, and other flaws, Techno wouldn't have Wilbur any other way.

They were brothers in arms now and nothing could change that.

↤ ✧ ↦

After a month of traveling with Wilbur the two young men stumbled upon a lone survivor, and were instantly wary of the guy. The man lived in an abandoned town, nearly completely wiped out of zombies. He found the two as they stumbled through town, looking out for survivors while they searched for places to loot.

“Aye mates!” the blond haired man greeted the two, like they were old friends and were not in the middle of an apocalypse. “You look starved, want a bite to eat?”

Techno put his hand on the handle of his sword and beside him Wilbur pulled out his hunting crossbow, touchingly named _Chekhov's Gun_. (Techno had offered to find him a real gun. Wilbur had only scoffed and called him a ‘generic bloody American.’ That was the end of that conversation, seeing as it sent the both of them into a fit of laughter.) They were both armed, guns on their backs and there was no doubt that they could take the strange man if they wanted to.

The man chuckled when he saw them get all defensive, taking a step back but still upholding his friendly demeanor.

“Come on, it’s just us and a few zombies in this town,” the man said. “Everyone else is gone. Plus the only supplies you could find are in my house, and you ain’t getting those easily.”

“Don’t mind me, but you look pretty easy to defeat,” Wilbur said, obviously hinting at the man’s short height and average build. But the man only smiled at him, crossing his hands and standing up straighter.

“It’s not me you should worry about, it’s the house,” the man said, almost cheerfully. “But you honestly looked starved. Come on boys, let me treat you to some food and a good night's sleep.”

Techno snuck a look at Wilbur who looked back at him and shrugged. Techno just sighed and crossed his arms as he relaxed his posture.

“Fine,” he said, his voice low with its usual deadpan monotone-ness to it. “But if you slit my throat in my sleep I’m coming back to haunt ya.’”

The man stared at him for a long second before letting out a hearty laugh.

“Alright mate,” the man said. “Name’s Philza Craft. Who do I have the lovely pleasure of housing in my home?”

“I’m Wilbur Soot,” Wilbur said before pointing to Techno. “And this sad American bloke is Technoblade.”

“You didn’t have to call me a sad American Wil,” Techno grumbled, a smile slipping onto his lips. “You’re a bipolar Brit and that’s arguably worse.”

“Oh shut up you arse,” Wilbur shot back.

“You two are a cheery bunch,” Philza replied, reminding the two men that they were supposed to be following the man to his home.

“Nah, we’re just sleep deprived,” Wilbur said, nonchalant. Techno couldn’t help but nod in agreement as he walked beside Wilbur as they followed Philza down the street.

“Same here mate,” Philza said. “Couldn't sleep a wink for weeks. That’s why I did this.”

The man pointed down the street at a house. Techno and Wilbur’s steps came to a halt when they stopped beside Philza. The house looked normal, for a second, and just a second. That was before Techno could make out and process the series of intricate traps laid across the house’s lawn and crawling up the side of the house. Ropes, hunting traps, and other random things were tied up in intricate knots and patterns, making it look almost impossible to enter the house.

“Wha-what?” Wilbur stuttered out as Philza stared proudly at the house. Techno was speechless, and while he didn’t usually have much to say, staring at this house just perplexed him. 

“Keeps away zombies, and survivors,” Philza said with a shrug of his shoulders. “They think I’m a madman. Haven’t seen anyone around in ages, until you guys came around.”

“I think someone has to be a little mad to stay alive during an apocalypse,” Techno said. “All we gotta do is look at ourselves for example.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Philza agreed. “Now, want a cup of tea? I got biscuits as well.”

Techno smiled at Philza before following the crazy man into his home. It wouldn’t be the first, or the last time, he decided to team up with someone that was a little mad.

He wasn’t one to judge anyway.

He was mad himself.

↤ ✧ ↦

Philza was the father he never would have allowed himself to get close to, but was forced into having a father-son relationship anyway. Philza, or Phil as he was lovingly called, hit off easily with Wilbur very quickly. The first time he called Wilbur ‘son’ it was meant as a joke, but it was also endearing. Techno didn’t realize how much he craved that attention until Phil approached him with open arms that he let himself fall into, embracing the man with a fervor he didn’t know was inside him.

Phil was easy to talk to. He was supportive as hell and always knew what to say when Techno was feeling down. He knew Techno wasn’t one for affection and contact, so he offered it more subtlety. Carrying their extra supplies when Techno looked more tired than usual. Letting Techno sleep longer even when they were supposed to switch shifts. Telling jokes that Techno’s dark humor could appreciate. Phil was amazing, simply put. He always included Techno even when he didn’t need the attention, or thought he didn’t.

Not to mention that Phil was a great survivalist. He and his former wife, whom he had lost in the early days of the apocalypse, had enjoyed camping and backpacking before the world turned upside down. He knew how to light fires with little time to spare, knew what spots would make a great camp for the night, knew how to track animals, knew how to set traps, and more. Techno still couldn’t believe how easy it was to get the man to leave his crazy house with it’s traps and contraptions, but the man had a love for adventure he couldn’t ignore. When he mentioned there was a cabin his family owned up north the group of three made plans to set out for it immediately.

And when they arrived, Phil was quick to make the lonely cabin a home.

He was quick to become the support system that both Wilbur and Techno needed.

Techno could not be more grateful for him than he already was.

↤ ✧ ↦

Techno stared at the box sitting up on the shelf. Unlike the others similar to it, it stood up tall alone on its shelf, compared to the ones that laid on their side or were scattered onto the floor. Likely due to a careless survivor or even a zombie that knocked them over. Zombie seemed more likely, since Techno doubted that many people still looked through the beauty aisles in a store. He wasn’t even going to at first, but he decided to look down every aisle in case it held something valuable.

He wasn’t sure if this box counted as valuable, but something in his mind was making it out like it was, with the way he was staring so intently at it.

The gears in his brain were turning fast and Techno quickly forgot about the fact that he was supposed to be looking for other supplies while Phil and Wilbur looked for food in the abandoned store. He should be looking for medical supplies, or soap. They were low on soap.

But this box, this stupid box with the stupid model flipping her stupid hair, managed to catch Techno’s attention.

Before he could stop himself the box was in his hands and clutched close to his chest.

He wanted this. No, he _needed_ this. He needed the comfort of something that he left behind years ago, that whisper of nostalgia that he craved in this desolate world. The box was quickly shoved into his pack as soon as the haze in his mind cleared with a shake of his head. He had other supplies to look for, the box could wait until later.

As he traveled back to the cabin with his companions the weight of the box in his pack would not leave him alone. Compared to the other supplies he was carrying, the box was nothing, but it was constantly on his mind. He was quiet on their way back, quieter than usual. Phil and Wilbur didn’t mention it, they just exchanged nervous glances and would look at Techno with confusion and worry every now and then. He ignored them, and tried to ignore the box in his pack.

When they got back to the cabin Techno quickly unpacked his supplies, helping Phil and Wilbur put away the stuff they had found as well. When that was done, Techno surprised himself when he pulled the box out and presented it to Wilbur, whose eyes widened. He was originally going to wait, but the stupid box and his thoughts would not leave him alone.

“Dye my hair,” Techno said. It wasn’t a question, it was a demand. And even as Wilbur raised and brow and Phil watched with an assumed and curious expression, both of his companions didn’t question him.

Wilbur pulled his hair out of it’s ponytail and brown locks fell and brushed against his shoulders. The box was opened, gloves pulled onto hands and instructions lying out on the bathroom sink. Dye was mixed, bleach and dye applied to dry hair, and the rhythmic touch of gentle hands in Techno’s hair lulled him into a wondrous sense of security.

Nearly two hours later, after letting dye sit in his hair for a while before rinsing it out, Techno was staring at the damp pink hair that fell down just past his shoulders. He ran a hand through his hair, smiling to himself in the mirror. Wilbur leaned in the doorway of the bathroom as he watched. Phil was lingering around somewhere in the cabin, no doubt about that. He had left the boys alone for most of the dyeing process, coming in to check on them every now and then.

“Why the sudden change?” Wilbur asked, speaking up about the dye for the first time since Techno had presented the box to him. “I never would have taken you for the type to dye your hair _pink_ of all things. I’m surprised you never even cut your hair, it’s rather long.”

Techno silently stared at his reflection for a few moments longer before he turned to look at Wilbur.

“Reminds me of home,” he said in all honesty. “Of better days, in a sense.”

“Home?” Wilbur asked, curious. Techno fell quiet again, looking at his reflection once again.

_The little girl stared up in awe at her big brother. She crawled up onto the couch to sit next to him. A laugh escaped his throat when she ran a hand through the bright pink locks that fell well past his shoulder blades._

_“It’s pink!” she exclaimed happily. “You look like a princess!”_

_“He looks stupid,” the young boy sitting beside him grumbled, flicking through TV stations before settling on some cartoon that would be safe for his sister’s young eyes._

_“No, you’re stupid,” the girl retorted with surprising sass for a girl her age. “Techie’s a princess now.”_

_“I thought you were the princess?” he laughed, pushing his sister lightly as she detangled her small fingers from his hair. His sister beamed up at him._

_“No I’m a queen!” she said. Then she gasped and slid off of the couch, running down the hall to her room. “Wait here!” she shouted before she fully disappeared from his view. He watched her go and shook his head, a smile on his face._

_“You do look stupid,” the young boy beside him said, glancing away from the TV to look at him. “Like an anime character.”_

_“I wanted a change,” he replied. “Brown hair is just boring.” The young boy rolled his eyes at his older brother._

_“Whatever Techno,” he said, appearing upset but there was an amused smile on his face._

_He opened his mouth to say something else, to defend himself and his choices, but the young girl’s footsteps alerted him of her presence. She ran up to him, hoisting herself up onto the couch, and stood next to him on the couch cushion to place something on top of his head._

_A golden crown._

_The young girl was smiling at him._

_“Now you are a princess Techie!”_

_“But he’s a boy?”_

_“He can still be a princess!”_

_He rolled his eyes at his siblings dumb argument before grabbing the young girl by her waist and wrapping his other arm around the young boy’s shoulder, pulling them closer to him as he relaxed into the couch cushions, making them shout with surprise. The shouting faded quickly when the three siblings dissolved into a fit of laughter as they playfully pushed at one another and held each other close._

“Yeah,” Techno said after a moment of silence. “Home.” He didn’t say anything else, not elaborating about what he was talking about. Wilbur didn’t push him for answers either. They didn’t often talk about their past, preferring to focus on the future.

Techno turned and smiled at Wilbur and walked past him and into the hallway.

“But that doesn’t matter anymore,” he said, with just a hint of sadness in his voice. “Cause you and Phil are my home now. The Sleepy Bois.”

“Sleepy Bois _Inc_ ,” Wilbur corrected, smiling at him as he followed him into the kitchen. Phil was sitting at the table and looked up when the boys came into the room.

“Oh not this argument again,” he said with a laugh. Wilbur let out a dramatic shout and pulled Phil into their silly argument, and Techno laughed at the stupidity of the situation.

Not that he’d trade it for anything in the world, because nothing could replace the memories he made with his found family.

  
  


↤ ✧ ↦

Months later, after living with his newfound family for nearly a year, when the three sleep deprived men stumbled upon two teenagers in the woods after a hunting trip, somehow Techno knew that these kids would become family too.

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you guys will stick around to see the other ideas I write for this lil series, even if it takes me a while to write them. This is probably gonna be a background project of mine. I intend to make most of these standalones so people can just pick up and read them, but they are all connected and centered around SBI.  
> Thank you for reading! Feel free to check the other work/works in this series, or leave a comment or kudos! :D


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